Vibrating apparatus



J. W. BRIDGES VIBRATING APPARATUS Dec. 12, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Mar ch 31, 1948 T [111 Ml, Bu /dyes INVENTOR,

ATTORN EY Dec. 12, 1950 J. .w. BRIDGES 2,533,711

VIBRATI NG APPARATUS Filed March 51, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J/m W. Brio ye;

INVENTOR,

ATTORN EY J. W. BRIDGES VIBRATING APPARATUS Dec. 12, 1950 s Sheets-sheaf 3 Filed March 31, 1948 Patented Dec. 12, 1 950 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VIBBATI-NG APPARATUS John- W. Bridges, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application March 31, 1948, Serial No'. 18,219

Claims. (Cl. 128-63) The present invention relates to vibrating apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for vibrating portions of the human body;

The invention particularly relates tobelt type vibrators, or in other words, apparatus wherein a strap or belt is placed tightl against the anatomical portion to be vibrated, and isthen rapidly reciprocated mechanically in short strokes. In such apparatus, it is desirable that the length of the belt stroke be selectively variable.

It is therefore a principal" object of the present invention to provide a belt reciprocating mechanism wherein the belt stroke may be selectively varied during operation of the mechanism, and without halting such operation.

A further object is to provide a selectively variable belt reciprocating-mechanism, so designed that the stroke variation from long to short may be accomplished gradually yet continuously, thus accomplishing abundant selectivity.

An additional object is to provide a mechanism of this class which is simple to operate, comparatively cheap to manufacture, and positive in action.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying three sheets of drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a body supporting case or table, two units of the mechanism of the present invention being operatively housed therein;

Figure 2" is an enlarged perspective view of one of said units, the belt being deleted;

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view detailing the stroke adjusting head of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 3; and,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral I indicates, as a whole, a hollow case having two vertical ends 2 and 3, an open rear side 4, and a top 5-. The upper surface or top of the case I' acts as a table top for supporting the human body in a prone position. A Vertically swinging door is preferably provided for closing the open side of the case I.

The belt reciprocating mechanism of the present invention is positioned within the case I, and in the illustrated embodiment of the invention,

2- there are two of such units mounted in tandem within the case (Fig. 1).

As best illustrated in Fig. 2, one of said belt reciprocating units includes a pair of spaced apart arched supporting frames I0, each having two leg portions H adapted to be anchored to the floor of the case I by bolts or lag-screws I2.

To the upper horizontal portion or bridge I3 of each of said frames Hi, there is rigidly mounted a conventional bearing sup-port I4, and each support I i positions a frictionless bearing I5 which in turn journals a short shaft It. A fly-wheel IT is rigidly mounted on the inner end portion of each of said shafts I6.

Spanning the space lying between the adjacent end faces of the two fly-wheels i1, is an elongated link or rod I8 which has each of its ends rigidly connected to one of the fly-wheels. The points of attachment of the rod I 8 to the fly-wheels I! lie radially-opposite with relation to the two fly- Wheels, or in other words, one end of the rod is anchored adjacent the top edge of one fly-wheel, and the other end of said rod is connected adjacent the bottom edge of the other fiy-wheel. This rod arrangement is best illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

It is obvious. that should one of the fly-wheels ll be rotated, the rod It will act to simultaneously drive the other fly-wheel. During such rotation of the two fly-Wheels, the rod I8 will bodily travel in a cylindrical path, but will not rotate upon its own axis. Different points along the extent of the rod I8 will describe a cylindrical path, and these paths are all concentric with relation to the aligned axis of the two shafts I6. However, the diameters of these paths of travel will vary in accordance with, or in ratio to the distance of such path from the end face of the fly-wheel nearer said path. If such circular path lies adjacent the end face of either fly-wheel, it will be of greater diameter than a path selected adjacent the longitudinal center of the rod I 8. Consequently, a point lying at the exact longitudinal center of the rod It will be standing still, with no movement whatsoever.

It is therefore obvious that if a belt end were to be attached to the rod 53- at any point, except the exact longitudinal center thereof, longitudinal reciprocal movement would be imparted to the belt, and the farther the point of attachment is located from the rod center, the greater will be the stroke of the belt.

In order to accomplishv th s belt attachment, and also in order to provide for shifting the point of attachment longitudinally along the. rod

surfaces of the two plates 28.

l8, the following described mechanism is provided.

A heavy block I9 is adapted to be rigidly connected to each of the two bridges I3 by a studbolt 20. A pair of parallel spaced apart guiderods or track members 2| extend horizontally between the two blocks I9 and are anchored firmly to the blocks by set-screws 22.

A head 23 having a laterally extending shank portion 24 provided with two through perforations 25, is slidably mounted on the two track members 2|, with the track members passing throughthe perforations. A handle 26 has a threaded pin portion 2'! which is engaged in a complemental bore in the outer end of the shank portion 24 of the head 23, and the handle may be manually rotated upon its own axis to bring the pin 21 into positive engagement with one of the track members. The pin 2'! therefore acts as a set-screw to selectively anchor the head against sliding movement on the tracks.

The head 23 further includes two flat plates 28 rigidly mounted on an enlarged portion 29 of the shank portion 2 3 by stud bolts 30. The adjacent or inner faces of the plates are machined and dressed perfectly smooth, and are provided with aligned perforations 3|. The perforations 3| lie completely beyond the end of the head portion 29.

Surrounding the rod I8 and slidable thereon, is a wear-ring or sleeve 32, and surrounding the sleeve, is a substantially conventional roller bearing 33. The outer race member 34 of the bearing 33 has an outer annular peripheral surface 35 which is arcuate transversely. Surrounding the race member 34 is a wear-ring 36 which has an inner annular surface which is arcuate complementally to the surface 35, and which nests the outer race member. The ends of the sleeve 32, the bearing assembly 33, and the wear-ring 33 are all machined and dressed smooth, so that they have a slidable working fit with the inner The plates 28 merely confine the elements 32, 33 and 33 against independent longitudinal movement with relation to each other, but allow their free movement between the plates with the travel of the rod I8. The plates 28 and the head portions 29 and 24 also act as an actuating means for facilitating manual movement of the elements 32, 33 and 36 along the rod I8.

The outer surface of the wear-ring 36 is provided with a rigidly mounted eye 31 by which one end of a massaging belt 38 may be connected to the wear-ring. The sleeve 32, the bearing 33, and the wear-ring 36, when assembled, might well be termed to be a connecting member. The massaging or vibrating belt 33 is adapted to extend upwardly from the eye 31 and out of the case I through an elongated slot 40 formed in the top of the case (Fig. 1). Above the top 5 of the case, the belt 38 forms a loop 39. After forming the loop 39, the other end of the belt 33 passes into the case I through an elongated slot 4| also formed in the case top 5.

This last mentioned end of the belt 38 may be attached to the upper portion of the rear wall 4 of the case in any manner which will permit its sliding movement along the slot 4 I.

As a driving means for the fiy-wheel I'I, there is provided a horizontal shaft 42 having a drive pulley 43 thereon, and an endless belt 44 driven by an electric motor 45 act to impart rotary motion to the shaft 42.

In operation, the patient is laid upon the top 5 of the case I with the loop portion 39 encircling a desired portion of his body. -The belt is adjusted longitudinally so as to embrace the body portion in a fairly tight manner. The handle 26 is rotated upon its own axis to release the pin portion 21 thereof from anchoring engagement with the track member 2|, and the head 23 is manually moved along the track to a desired point. The handle 23 is then rotated to again drive the pin portion 27 into anchoring engagement with the track 2|. The motor 45 is then placed in operation to rotate the pulley 43, the shaft 42 and the fly-wheel II. Rotary movement of the right hand one of the fly-wheels H, as viewed in Fig. 1, causes rotation of the rod l8 and the left hand one of the fly-wheels I l. Bodily rotary movement of the rod 2| with the two flywheels I! causes similar movement of the sleeve 32, the bearing 33, and the wear-ring 36, and this movement of the wear-ring 36 causes reciprocable movement of the belt 38. Such reciprocable movement massages that portion of the patients body which is enveloped by the belt. The reciprocable stroke of the belt may be lengthened or shortened by moving the head 23 along the tracks 2| away from or toward the longitudinal center of the rod I8.

In Fig. 1, the case I is shown as housing two of the belt reciprocating mechanisms which is above described herein. The mechanisms are substantially identical, and the second one is driven by extending the shaft 42 beyond the pulley 43 in an obvious manner.

From the above description, when taken in conjunction with Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, it is thought to be evident that apparatus has been disclosed which accomplishes all of the objects and purposes set forth.

Applicants mechanism is so designed that minute stroke adjustment is possible, and such adjustment may be accomplished during rotation of the bolt vibrating shaft.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practioability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In mechanism for adjustably converting rotary movement into reciprocable motion, the combination with a pair of spaced axially aligned rotatably mounted elements connected together by a rod, said rod being slanted with relation to the rotative axis of the elements, of: a connecting member slidable on the rod and within which the rod is journalled; means for independently anchoring said member in various selective positions with relation to the longitudinal extent of the rod; and a reciprocatable element engaged by the connecting member.

2. In mechanism for adjustably converting rotary movement into reciprocable motion during such movement, the combination with a pair of spaced axially aligned rotatably mounted elements connected together by a rod, said rod being slanted with relation to the rotative axis of the elements, of: a connecting member slidable on the rod and within which the rod is journalled; means for independently anchoring said member in various selective positions with relation to the longitudinal extent of the rod; and a reciprocatable element engaged by the connecting member.

,3. In body massaging apparatus, mechanism for adjustably reciprocating a massaging belt longitudinally, including: a pair of spaced axially aligned rotatably mounted elements con nected together by a rod, said rod being slanted with relation to the rotative axis of the elements; means for rotating the elements; a belt connecting member slidable on the rod and within which the rod is journalled; means for independently anchoring said member in various selective positions with relation to the longitudinal extent of the rod; and a belt having one end attached to said connecting member, and adapted to have its other end resiliently attached to some Stationary object.

4. Body massaging apparatus comprising, a table for supporting a human body, a belt having one end adapted to be attached to said table with its central portion extending thereabove so as to be looped over said body, and mechanism for longitudinally reciprocating the other end of the belt, including: a pair of spaced axially aligned rotatably mounted elements rigidly connected together by a rod, said rod being slanted with relation to the rotative axis of the elements; means for rotating the elements; a belt connecting member slidable on the rod and Within which the rod is journalled, said member having the other end of said belt connected thereto; and means for independently anchoring said member in various selective positions with relation to the longitudinal extent of the rod.

5. Body massaging apparatus comprising, a

table for Supporting a prone human body, a belt having one end adapted to be attached to said table with its central portion extending thereabove so as to be looped over said body, and mechanism for longitudinally reciprocating the other end of said belt, including: a rotatable element having a longitudinally extending part disposed at a tangential angle with relation to the rotative axis of the element; a member slidable along said longitudinal part for connecting the other end of the belt; and means for independently anchoring said member in various selective positions with relation to the longitudinal extent of said part.

JOHN W. BRIDGES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,693,300 Knott Nov. 27, 1928 1,701,956 McDonald Feb. 12, 1929 1,758,663 Hendry May 13, 1930 1,899,544 Whitney Feb. 28, 1933 2,441,394 Buoy May 11, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 855,859 France Feb. 26, 1940 

